Pivot.......

We might just be considered CrAzY!!  Yep.....we are that family!!  We have officially added to our family!!  There is the pitter patter of 4 feet added to our house!!  Yep you guessed it......A PUPPY!!

We had a family pooch that passed away a few years ago, his name was Ruger and he was the sweetest guy you could ever ask for....we got him from an ad in the newspaper for free.  His owner was looking for someone to spend more time with him, at that time we had a very active toddler (Haley) who was 18 months old and Ruger was a mere 11 months old.  It was a match made in Heaven, they were soul mates, pals to say the least.  Ruger was definitely not a house dog, he was black and chocolate lab mix.  He got very sick in the winter of 2011 and ended up with kidney and liver failure so the best thing for him was to be put down.  It was one of hardest things I have ever had to do.  Haley and I stayed with him as the vet administered the medication that would take away all of his pain and suffering.......we watched him take his last breath and close his eyes, we stood there crying but knowing it was what was best for him.  We couldn't be selfish because we wanted him to stay with us, we loved him more than that......

right before we took our beloved boy to the vet to be put down....... <3 

We waited so long to add to our family, no one could ever take Rugers place in our hearts, that was going to have to be the most amazing dog EVER!!  In the spring of 2015 I was toying with the idea of a dog.....I missed the walks and the companionship of a dog....we just had to convince my husband that this was a good idea.....lol

Mother's Day weekend, May 9th to be exact we were at a hillbilly swap meet and there was a tote of adorable puppies.....I knew I was in for trouble.  3 of the girls were up with my family while Grace and I stood there.....one black with a little white puppy stuck out to us.....we went over and played with him, a sweet little guy.  I had to walk away.......I quickly found my dad and asked him what he knew about lab/terrier mix dogs, then I showed him......my step mom went over and picked him up and he quickly began giving his now famous "kisses"  hook.....line.....sinker........lol

We chatted with the owner, learning that they weren't 100% sure what his daddy was.  He was adorable!!  With no thought at all I reached in my pocket and paid her the $25.00 that she was asking and scooped up this puppy.....we started walking to the girls and told Grace not to say anything.  As we got closer my heart started pounding anticipating their reaction.....Grace walked ahead and the girls turned around.  My brother's girlfriend said something about what a cute puppy and the girls FLEW around....I was attacked!!  "is he ours"  "do we get to keep him"  "does Dad know?"  Millions of questions came rumbling out of their mouths.........and the fight began as to who got to walk him around........we quickly found a vendor with a small collar and a lead to "walk" him....I say "walk" because it was more of a drag at that point than anything......the girls were in love....... <3

the night we got him.....such a little guy......

the first day the girls went back to school......bought him this pillow for "large dogs"  lol  he can't even fit on it anymore.....

We called my husband when he got off of work and he came to the swap to meet up with us.....he wasn't too mad, but excited would be lying.......yes, I kinda rushed into this whole idea....but if you stand there thinking too much about it; the time will completely pass you by.  We had to buy him food, a kennel and all of the other necessities he needed.

That first day the girls went back to school was tough for him.....he laid by me waiting for them to come home......

We take Piv on walks when the weather works with us......it proves to be a challenge as he more walks you than you him....lol  We are slowly learning....... ;) Although one day when we got home this is what happened......

Piv in the pond........taking a chill

So you might ask where Pivot's name came from....it's a derby reference!!  The girls have become involved in Roller Derby (future post) so we want to make him part of that. A few explanations of what a Pivot is......

  "The pivot is also a blocker. A blocker's job is to get her jammer through the pack while blocking the opposing jammer. Blockers must be able to play offense and defense, often at the same time. There are 5 skaters on the track (per team): a pivot, 3 blockers, and a jammer."

Pivot - The pivot blocker wears a helmet cover with a stripe on it. She generally starts at the first starting line and serves as the leader of her teammates playing in that jam. As most teams play the pivot position at the front of the pack, she is also often the last line of defense to stop the opposing jammer from escaping the pack.


We thought about naming him Derby but it just didn't seem right, and when I was on line I seen another dog name Derby so we wanted something pretty original, I think Pivot hits his mark. The girls have taken him out skating with them, that was quite the challenge but Haley had fun with tying his rope around her waist and letting him run with her......they crashed but no one was hurt!!  :)

My derby team!!

Over all, Piv has become a welcome part of our family.....besides his biting and clawing.....lol  we have yet to get his BIG snip and get those claws taken care of....but he is a spoiled boy to say the least!!  <3

been a while.......

So, it's been a long time!!  I truly apologize about that... (to the 10 of you that actually read this....lol) Last blog was December 4, 2014!!  So last year flew by without a single post....... :/ Today I commit myself to "trying" every Friday to sit down and blog just what's flying around in this noodle on my shoulders.  There was a lot that happened in 2015, so much that changed our lives.  Most of it is immensely private so sadly I can't share juicy details but I can touch on subjects I feel are closely related.  :)  

One of the changes within me is the most obvious when you look at me.......I got my left nostril pierced!!  I am loving it!!  There are a few things that you wouldn't think would alter your way of doing things that it really does.....blowing your nose is sometimes difficult, you get these "elmer's glue" buggers that get stuck up in the crack of your nose that are nearly impossible to pull out.  I haven't gotten those in a while but yes, they blow......funny little blurb of a story.........so my 16 year old is a cheerleader; we enjoy attending games to watch her cheer.  As we sat one a very frigid football game, I had my cozy gloves on.....I felt like my nose had a drip on the end of it so I wiped it....well, turns out my hoop in my nose likes the material of my gloves as I was stuck.....with my hand up to my face, attached to my nose ring......lol  Of course my husband didn't care and the girls thought it was amazingly funny!!

So, a little about the nose piercing adventure.....Haley, who was 15 3/4 at the time, my mom, who was 61 and myself decided to get something special as a 3 generation girl thing......  We planned May 26, 2015 was our day....the girls had roller derby that night until 8:00 so it would be a late night thing.  We dropped the girls off at home and headed to Mason City (we got pierced at Technicolor Tattoo as they run a $20.00 Tuesday special)  we got there and the smell of Subway filled the store....lol  Our main guy was eating his supper.  We had paperwork to fill out (make sure to check age restrictions for your state as to parental consent) as we waited for our materials to be sanitized.  Haley had plenty of time to sit on the couch and freak out (her boyfriend at the time came with us to help keep her calm, which he was COMPLETELY worthless!)  My mom decided she was going first, otherwise she would chicken out.......we were allowed to take pictures but no videos.....

 http://www.ncsl.org/research/health/tattooing-and-body 
https://www.cga.ct.gov/2013/rpt/2013-R-0231.htm   

Our piercer's name was Alex.  Here he is cleaning out the inside of the nose preparing for the piercing.

There is a mark made on the outside of the nostril (of which side you choose) and you are asked how the placement is, it can be moved accordingly.   Then forceps are placed on the nostril to stabilize and prepare for the needle.

Here is my mom with the needle in her nose.....we had a curved needle used.  The next step is to place the jewelry on the end of the needle and slide through (which I thought was the most painful part.)

So, my mom took it like a champ....just a flinch when the needle pierced through.  :)  It was my turn next!!

My nose is marked and forceps put on......

The needle is in!!!

The final step of getting the jewelry put in.  the end of the post (which was  a curved post called a corkscrew) is lined up with the end of the needle and inserted as the needle is removed.  Not sure why this hurts the most but it really does!!

Next Haley was up, she didn't want to watch me get mine done; but I needed someone to take pictures!!  lol I stood by her side and talked her through it, she was really freaked out!!  Her "boyfriend" stood there like an idiot and didn't want to watch as needles made him queasy....then why did he come!?

Haley's nose is marked and clamped....... (dummy's hand to the side...)

The needle is going in!!  She actually flinched when he even touched her!!

Your eye waters for some reason on the side you get pierced.....I teased her she was crying..... :)

We took a 3 generation picture just outside the shop!!

and at Mcdonalds.....lol

.....after all was said and done, my mom comes up and tells me that her's hurt like a bitch....that she had lied about the pain!!  lol  I kinda figured!!  ;)  I can honestly say though that it wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be.  I'm not sure what I was expecting it to be but not terrible, if I had to rate 1-10 (10 being I'm DYING)  I would rate about a 4-5....I only say 5 because mine throbbed for a while afterwards which was irritating, I whinned about it for quite a while.  Both my mom and Haley went right side while I went left.....somebody has to be different right??

The piercer went over aftercare instructions with all of us (each piercer will have slightly different instructions)  Ours were basically to clean it with a saline solution 2-3 times a day for 6 weeks.  After  6-8 weeks we were able to change out the jewelry, although Haley and I did it earlier....lol  My mom had a tougher time healing due to the quality of jewelry (she is allergic to most metals so gold is her only real option)  so sadly she had to take her's out and let it heal up..... :(

The first time changing out my jewelry was much tougher than I thought it would be....I fought for over an hour with it.  There were tears involved and some blood......but once it went in I was stoked!!  It does get easier with practice!!  Now I can fly one in and out.  There are different types of nose jewelry to wear.  I prefer the hoop (mine is not as pictured in the first~it's the second one) as to where others like the bones or l-shapes........there are also different sizes of all the jewelry, the hoops have different measurements and the bones have different lengths I believe.  Best bet is to buy a few of style and play with it.....I have a short nostril so the corkscrew feels weird and to me it feels like it hangs out the front of my nose.  But the screw is my close second in favorites!!  :) Although when I wash my face at night I tend to wipe down and end up pulling it half out......

There are also different gauges or basically the width of the post.......I wear a 20 gauge which is basic size (ranges from 18-20) I personally think 22 is too small but to each their own.




**I want to say that I am no where near professional with any of this information, this is based on what I was told and what we have learned. :)  So before taking any of my advice, please consult a professional piercer!!